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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 8, Love My Enemies  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 1
David Bercot calls turning the other cheek and loving enemies “the biggest stumbling block” for conventional churches—what does that claim suggest about what God is like, and what part of God’s character modern churches may quietly be unwilling to mirror?
Another way to ask: Bercot says “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies” is the biggest problem for many churches. What does that say about what God is like, and what part of God’s character might churches not want to copy?

Direct Answer Based on David Bercot’s teaching, the “biggest stumbling block” suggests God is deeply non-retaliatory and actively kind even toward enemies, and many churches may be unwilling to mirror God’s merciful, enemy-loving perfection in real-life conflicts.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says the main reason churches reject “the way of the Kingdom” is Jesus’ teaching on “turning the other cheek and loving our enemies.”
  • Jesus commands both restraint and proactive goodness: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good… and pray for those who… persecute you.”
  • Jesus grounds this in God’s own behavior: the Father “makes his Sun rise on the evil and on the good” and sends “rain on the just and on the unjust.”
  • The goal is Godlike maturity: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
  • Bercot contrasts this with what churches often inculcate: “Fight for your rights… Stand up to bullies.”
Discussion Follow-ups If God is kind to the unjust, what parts of our church culture train us to do the opposite? Where do we most resist looking “perfect” in this particular way?

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